The 7 Most Important PIM Integrations

Key Takeaways

• Integrations via REST API enable automatic synchronization and data exchange with important business applications such as ERP, CRM and online stores.
• Automatic data exchange increases efficiency and minimizes the susceptibility to errors caused by manual input.
• In Omnichannel Commerce in particular, PIM integration ensures consistent product data across all sales channels.

Introduction

Product information is of crucial importance for companies today. It influences the customer experience or Product Experience, the efficiency of internal processes and ultimately the success of the company. However, this information is often distributed across different systems, which makes administration complicated and increases the susceptibility to errors.

A PIM system with appropriate integrations offers the solution: by linking with other tools, you can ensure that all data remains centralized and up-to-date. In this article, we present the seven most important PIM integrations and explain why they are indispensable for companies.

A PIM helps to structure these processes and ensure data quality. But what are the costs of such a system? In this article, we shed light on the various factors that influence PIM costs and show what expenses can be incurred when implementing a PIM system.

Definition: What is a PIM Integration?

“PIM integration” refers to the link between your own PIM software and other important business systems, such as online stores, ERP or CRM, via an interface like a REST-API. The aim is to ensure smooth and automated data transfer between different platforms.

For example, information such as product descriptions, technical data or images can be transferred from the PIM system to other systems. This process means that manual processing steps are largely fully automated and therefore obsolete.

What are the advantages of integration with third-party systems?

The advantages of PIM integration are manifold:

What types of PIM Integrations are there?

There are different types of integrations that can be used depending on the business model and requirements. These integrations ensure that your PIM system works optimally with other applications and that efficiency is increased in the individual areas. Here are the seven most important PIM integrations for companies:

DAM Integration

A Digital Asset Management (DAM) system is responsible for managing digital assets such as images, videos, technical drawings or data sheets.

By connecting a DAM software with your PIM, you can ensure that images and media content are directly linked to the relevant product information. This means that all data is available in one place and can be quickly distributed to different channels.

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Advantages of DAM integration:

• Shorter time-to-market thanks to automated upload of images and media.
• Fewer errors thanks to centralized management of images and data sheets.
• Faster updating of marketing materials across all channels.

Website integration

Integrating your PIM system with content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Typo3 or Drupal allows you to automatically update product data on your website.

This ensures that all product information is consistent and up-to-date without the need for manual updates. This means you can react quickly to changes in the product range and always keep your website up to date.

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Advantages of Website integration:

• Faster publication of new products on the website.
• Less effort for manual updates thanks to automatic data updates.
• Better SEO performance thanks to uniform and optimized product data.

Online Shop Integration

For companies that operate an online store, the integration of the PIM system with store platforms such as Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce or Oxid eShop is essential.

These integrations make it possible to automatically transfer product data such as descriptions, prices and availability from the PIM system to the store. This means that updates are carried out in real time and errors caused by manual entries are avoided.

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Advantages of Online Shop Integration:

• Less time spent on product maintenance in the online store.
• Reduction in the error rate when publishing products.
• Faster ordering processes thanks to up-to-date and complete product information.

ERP integration

An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system controls many central business processes such as inventory management, purchasing or accounting.

By integrating the PIM into the ERP system, you ensure that product data and stock levels are always synchronized. This reduces the risk of stock shortages or duplicate orders and improves the efficiency of business processes.

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Advantages of ERP integration:

• Shorter stockholding times thanks to better stock overview.
• Less overselling thanks to real-time synchronization of stock levels.
• Shorter delivery times thanks to optimized data flows between PIM and ERP.

CRM integration

CRM integration connects the PIM system with a customer relationship management system. This means that sales and marketing always have access to up-to-date product information, which enables a personalized customer approach and targeted sales strategies.

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Advantages of CRM integration:

• Higher conversion rate thanks to personalized offers with up-to-date data.
• Fewer queries about product details thanks to up-to-date information.
• More successful upselling opportunities thanks to consistent and complete product data.

Social Media Integration

With social media integration, you can share your product information directly on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. This allows you to promote products quickly and easily across multiple channels.

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Advantages of Social Media Integration:

• Faster publication of products in social networks.
• Greater reach thanks to consistent and optimized product information.
• Less manual input thanks to automated data transfer to social media.

Web-to-Print Integration

Web-to-print integration makes it possible to automatically create print materials such as catalogs or brochures with up-to-date product information from the PIM system. This is particularly helpful for companies that combine print and online marketing.

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Advantages of web-to-print integration:

• Faster creation of catalogs and print materials.
• Lower costs for the manual compilation of print templates.
• Fewer errors when creating print materials thanks to automatic data transfer.

Amazon Marketplace Integration

Integration with Amazon Marketplace ensures that your products are always up to date on the world’s largest online marketplace. Product descriptions, prices and stock levels are transferred and updated directly from the PIM system to the Amazon catalog.

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Advantages of Amazon Marketplace integration:

• Less effort for product maintenance on Amazon thanks to automatic updates.
• More sales thanks to always up-to-date stock levels and price changes.
• Faster publication of new products on Amazon thanks to direct synchronization.

How does PIM integration work?

The technical basis for PIM integration is usually REST APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). These interfaces make it possible to exchange data between the PIM system and other applications.

Depending on the requirements, data can be transferred in one direction (unidirectional) or in both directions (bidirectional). In practice, this means that you can either push data from the PIM system into a third-party system or that data is pulled from the third-party system into the PIM system. A combination of both methods is also frequently used.

Example of a PIM integration

A common example is integration with an online store.

For example, product data, images, descriptions and SEO-relevant information are automatically transferred from the PIM system to the online store. As soon as a change is made in the PIM, it is immediately updated in the store.

This not only reduces the manual effort for data entry and corrections many times over, but also improves the user experience and the SEO performance of your store.

The importance of Omnichannel Commerce

In today’s world, customers expect a consistent and seamless experience no matter which channel they use to interact with your company. This type of omnichannel commerce is made possible by integrating PIM into all relevant sales channels.

Consistency across all channels

Through integration, you can ensure that product information is always consistent across all channels, such as online stores, marketplaces, social media or print. In this way, companies avoid outdated information reaching customers, which strengthens trust and increases customer satisfaction.

Time savings and efficiency

New products or changes can be entered into the PIM system with just a few clicks and are immediately available in all connected channels. This eliminates the need to manually update product pages in each channel, which saves a considerable amount of time.

Competitive advantage

Companies that can react quickly to market developments have a clear advantage over the competition. With intelligent PIM integrations, you are able to publish new products in all channels at the touch of a button and thus make better use of your market opportunities.

Conclusion

PIM solutions with corresponding integrations are indispensable for companies that want to get the most out of their processes while ensuring consistent data quality. They make it possible to manage product information centrally and keep it up to date across all sales channels.

Especially in Omnichannel Marketing, PIM integrations play a crucial role in offering customers a seamless experience and staying ahead of the competition. By choosing the right integrations for your company, you can optimize processes, increase customer satisfaction and ensure your long-term success.

Robin Schniedermann

Account Executive

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